People practicing open defecation, rural in Botswana

Botswana: People practicing open defecation, rural was 16.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
16.7%
Change on year
down 6.2%
World rank
34th
of 171 countries
All-time high
43.1%
in 2000
All-time low
16.7%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

People practicing open defecation, rural in Botswana, 2000–2024

0102030402000201220242000: 43.1 % of rural population2001: 42 % of rural population2002: 40.9 % of rural population2003: 39.8 % of rural population2004: 38.7 % of rural population2005: 37.6 % of rural population2006: 36.5 % of rural population2007: 35.4 % of rural population2008: 34.3 % of rural population2009: 33.2 % of rural population2010: 32.1 % of rural population2011: 31 % of rural population2012: 29.9 % of rural population2013: 28.8 % of rural population2014: 27.7 % of rural population2015: 26.6 % of rural population2016: 25.5 % of rural population2017: 24.4 % of rural population2018: 23.3 % of rural population2019: 22.2 % of rural population2020: 21.1 % of rural population2021: 20 % of rural population2022: 18.9 % of rural population2023: 17.8 % of rural population2024: 16.7 % of rural population

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of rural population.

Analysis

In 2024, people practicing open defecation, rural in Botswana stood at 16.7%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

The figure is down 6.2% on the previous year and down 39.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation, rural in Botswana peaked at 43.1% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 16.7%, in 2024.

Botswana ranks 34th of 171 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.

People practicing open defecation, rural in Botswana, year by year

Annual values for People practicing open defecation, rural (% of rural population) in Botswana, 2000 to 2024.
Year % of rural population Change
2000 43.1%
2001 42.0% -2.6%
2002 40.9% -2.6%
2003 39.8% -2.7%
2004 38.7% -2.8%
2005 37.6% -2.8%
2006 36.5% -2.9%
2007 35.4% -3.0%
2008 34.3% -3.1%
2009 33.2% -3.2%
2010 32.1% -3.3%
2011 31.0% -3.4%
2012 29.9% -3.6%
2013 28.8% -3.7%
2014 27.7% -3.8%
2015 26.6% -4.0%
2016 25.5% -4.1%
2017 24.4% -4.3%
2018 23.3% -4.5%
2019 22.2% -4.7%
2020 21.1% -5.0%
2021 20.0% -5.2%
2022 18.9% -5.5%
2023 17.8% -5.8%
2024 16.7% -6.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 38.1% 33.2% 43.1% 10
2010s 27.1% 22.2% 32.1% 10
2020s 18.9% 16.7% 21.1% 5

Countries ranked near Botswana

  1. 31 Zimbabwe 18.8% compare
  2. 32 Marshall Islands 18.7% compare
  3. 33 Papua New Guinea 17.3% compare
  4. 35 Afghanistan 15.4% compare
  5. 36 Laos 14.3% compare
  6. 37 Guinea-Bissau 14.2% compare

See the full ranking of 218 places →

More health data for Botswana

All data for Botswana →

Frequently asked questions

What is people practicing open defecation, rural in Botswana?
People practicing open defecation, rural in Botswana was 16.7% in 2024, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO).
What is the highest people practicing open defecation, rural recorded in Botswana?
The highest recorded value was 43.1% in 2000.
What is the lowest people practicing open defecation, rural recorded in Botswana?
The lowest recorded value was 16.7% in 2024.
How does Botswana rank for people practicing open defecation, rural?
Botswana ranks 34th out of 171 countries with data for 2024.
Is people practicing open defecation, rural rising or falling in Botswana?
Over the last ten years it is down 39.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Botswana data come from?
The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of People practicing open defecation, rural (% of rural population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

People practicing open defecation, rural in Botswana. Statizoid, drawing on WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/people-practicing-open-defecation-rural-percent-of-rural-population/botswana/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/stat/people-practicing-open-defecation-rural-percent-of-rural-population/botswana/">People practicing open defecation, rural in Botswana</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
People practicing open defecation, rural (% of rural population)
Unit
% of rural population
Source
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
218 places, 5,299 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

People practicing open defecation refers to the percentage of the population defecating in the open, such as in fields, forest, bushes, open bodies of water, on beaches, in other open spaces or disposed of with solid waste.